A new agreement to further liberalise world trade is vital for the Netherlands says Winand Quaedvlieg, secretary of international economic affairs with employers’ organisation VNO-NCW.

‘We are talking about really big sums. The Netherlands is such an open economy that even a small growth in world trade would immediately result in many extra jobs.
‘For exporters the scrapping of import tariffs would generate tens of millions of euros. There is much profit to be had, particularly in the chemicals and food industries,’ Quaedvlieg told ANP news service on Monday. Import tariffs keep the price of raw materials artificially high, he said.
The Netherlands also has much to benefit from the liberalisation of the international market for financial services and transport.
The World Trade Organisation has been meeting in Geneva since last Monday. Reports on Monday afternoon suggest the current round of talks is close to reaching a deal, ANP reports.